Graceful Deception

11. Something Seems A Little...Fishy

***Dedicated to noxhallow4391 because they said that they couldn't wait for Ryan to show up.  See, someone likes him!  :D  ***

Chapter 11

Something Seems A Little…Fishy

 

 

“So what exactly are we going to do with this thing?” I asked, looking down on the ornate bronze box sitting at the foot of the bed, surrounded by all of our suitcases.  “We’re not exactly going to take all of them with us, are we?”

John, who had just done a quick change into a t-shirt and jeans right before, was shoving his clothes in his bulging suitcase, smiling up at me.  I really needed to show the guy how to pack…

“I’m going to go in a few minutes and send it back to London.  They’ll get it in by tonight,” he answered.

“But…is that safe?” I asked.  Should we really be sending the boxes back by mail when the Knights intercept them?  “You know, if the Knight somehow get a hold of it…”

“They won’t.  We’ve got a different method of shipping than you’re probably thinking.”  The smile was to reassure me, but I still couldn’t help but this that something could happen to it, even if he was so confident.  “Do you want to go with me?  I need to get something that they’re holding for me downstairs in the lobby, but I should be back within a few minutes.  We’ll be gone for a half hour tops.”

I couldn’t help it when I looked at him with a confused look on my face.  “You want me to go with you?”

He nodded, watching my confusion.  “Of course.  Why wouldn’t I?”

“Um…okay then,” I nodded.  “Sure, I’ll go.  Just…let me finish getting all of my stuff packed, but you should be back up here when I am, right?”

Nodding again, he stepped toward me, placing a kiss on my lips.  “I’ll be back in a few minute.”

While I finished getting all of my stuff packed, John headed down to the lobby to get whatever they were holding for him.  That gave just me, Stella, and Ren a few minutes together before he came back, just the three of us.  Ren was trying to help Stella with her suitcase, trying to zip it closed as she sat on top of it to push it down. 

“So what was all that about the last break-in you and John did on the trip before?” Ren asked, looking at me as he tugged on the zipper, which only moved another inch.  “I know about the whole situation with Juliet and you guys fighting, but why did I get the feeling that he blamed himself for what happened with you and her?”

I shrugged, not really knowing how to answer the question myself.  “I don’t know, really.  He seems to always blame himself for whatever happens to me, thinking that there was always a way for him to keep me safe.  He just needs to realize that everything that does happen, he really doesn’t have any control over it.”

“He’s overprotective of you, like he said before,” Stella smiled.  “Though I bet it can get really annoying after a while, always having him watching out for you.”

Ren rolled his eyes at that, still working on the zipper.  “You love it when I get all overprotective of you.”

“Which you hardly ever do anymore!”

“That’s because, like you tell me on multiple occasions, you can handle yourself.”

“You know you basically just contradicted yourself, right?  Saying that I love it when you get all overprotective of me and yet tell you that I can handle myself.”